Adapting To Change Should Be Natural

Adapting To Change Should Be Natural

I noticed that the leaves on most of the trees in the woods where I often take my dogs have started to change color. Normally, they are green but during the autumn season here in eastern Canada, they start to turn into shades of red, yellow and orange. This is a regular seasonal occurrence in my part of the world as entire forests turn into colorful places of beauty that attracts lots of photographers.

This is also the time of year when many foreign tourists visit the provinces of Ontario and Quebec here in Canada just to see our ‘fall colors’ which usually last from about late September to November. The leaves soon fall off the trees leaving the forests with a bare look except for the coniferous trees (Christmas trees) that maintain the same appearance all year round.

The trees change through the autumn season as they prepare for our long Canadian winter. Once the winter is over, the trees will start growing leaves again as the temperatures warms up in the springtime. Although considered a novelty to most tourists, these autumn changes are part of regular life each year here in Canada.

Constant Change In Our World

Change, of course, is now considered to be regular in our fast-paced world. Technology changes at lightning speed which can result in jobs lost. Skills and knowledge that we have will require updating on a regular basis now just so that we don’t become outdated. It is certainly not like the old days anymore when we can just learn a certain skill or trade and expect to use that same knowledge for the rest of our working careers.

For example, any auto mechanic trained ten years ago who has not upgraded his skills will not be able to service new model cars because of all the new technology that has been put into them, particularly all the electronics. Even highly scientific professions like medicine are not immune to the effects of change. Doctors have to attend medical conferences to keep updated on all the latest diagnosis methods and treatments of diseases.

Many people working in manufacturing jobs are at risk of being replaced by robotics so if these people do not upgrade their skills, they would certainly be out of work. Fragile economies and recessions certainly do not help in these situations as we have seen countless number of layoffs due to company downsizing over the last few years.

Learn From Nature’s Examples

Change itself can be quite scary but we should learn from nature — because change is natural. Change has been happening in nature since the beginning of time. Even our ancient human ancestors had to acquire new skills in order to survive through the different seasons, much like the trees do with their changing leaves. Adapting to change in our modern world should be viewed as a natural thing to do. Learn to embrace change as it forces you to learn new skills.

Attend conferences or seminars in your fields of interest or take upgrade courses or even programs on areas you have not even been trained in yet. Learning new languages would be perfect examples of this. These serve to not only make you successful in your career and life, but also to keep you successful despite the ever changing future. Adapting to change prevents you from becoming obsolete.

Clint Cora is a motivational speaker, author & Karate World Champion based near Toronto, Canada. Get his FREE 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone and finally conquer even your most daunting goals in life.